Foldable storage box

ABSTRACT

A foldable storage box includes a bottom panel, a rear panel, two lateral panels, a front panel, and a lid. The bottom panel has a rear edge with a first pivotal connection portion, two lateral edges each with a second pivotal connection portion, and a front edge with a third pivotal connection portion. The rear panel has a first bottom edge with a fourth pivotal connection portion pivotally connected to the first pivotal connection portion. Each lateral panel has a second bottom edge with a fifth pivotal connection portion pivotally connected to one of the second pivotal connection portions. The front panel has a third bottom edge with a sixth pivotal connection portion pivotally connected to the third pivotal connection portion. The lid is detachably connected to the rear panel, the two lateral panels, and the front panel to form the foldable storage box and the receiving space therein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a box structure and more particularly to the structure of a box that can be disassembled or folded in order to reduce the volume of, or the space required to store, the box.

2. Description of Related Art

The typical storage box structure includes a box body and a lid. The box body generally has a fixed configuration and cannot be folded, so the resulting storage box takes up a fixed amount of space that may hinder storage, transportation, or use of the box.

As a solution, Taiwan Utility Model Patent No. M349894, entitled “Assembled Shoebox” and granted on Feb. 1, 2009, discloses a shoebox whose box body includes a left part and a right part. The left and the right parts are symmetric with respect to each other and are each composed of a first plate and a second plate that can be bent with respect to each other to form an L shape. The male and the female engaging structures at the free ends of the two plates of one of the left and the right parts are removably engageable with those of the other of the left and the right parts in order for the two parts to form an open box body, and once the open ends of the open box body are mounted respectively with a front cover and a rear cover, a shoebox that can be rapidly disassembled and reassembled is completed.

While this patented shoebox can be folded up and thus reduced in volume, it is difficult to securely stack a plurality of such shoeboxes in the folded configuration, and a loose stack still occupies a considerable amount of space during transportation.

Taiwan Utility Model Patent No. 386529, entitled “Foldable Storage Box Structure” and granted on Apr. 1, 2000, discloses an integrally formed storage box body. A plurality of ribs extend from the periphery of the bottom portion of the box body and are respectively extended with a front panel, a rear panel, and two lateral panels. Each of the two lateral ends of each of the front and the rear panels is provided with an engaging plate configured to be engaged in an engaging groove in the corresponding lateral panel so as to bring the box body into the assembled state, and a lid can be placed on the assembled box body. To put a plurality of such storage boxes into a box or container for shipment, the panels of the box body of each storage box can be folded against one another onto the bottom portion of the box body, before the folded box body is fitted into the corresponding lid to form a compact folded storage box, the objective being to reduce the space occupied and thereby meet the requirement for economic benefits.

As the bottom portion, the front panel, the rear panel, and the two lateral panels of the box body in the '529 patent are integrally formed, the design and manufacture of this patented storage box are rather complicated, not to mention that the junction between each panel and the bottom portion may break after long-term use. Moreover, should any of the panels be damaged, the entire box body will be useless and hence cannot but be discarded, which constitutes a waste of resources.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the aforesaid drawbacks of the conventional foldable storage box bodies, the present invention provides a foldable storage box that includes a bottom panel, a rear panel, two lateral panels, a front panel, and a lid. The bottom panel is formed with a rear edge, two opposite lateral edges, and a front edge. The rear edge is provided with at least one first pivotal connection portion. Each of the two lateral edges is provided with at least one second pivotal connection portion. The front edge is provided with at least one third pivotal connection portion. The rear panel is detachably connected to the bottom panel and is formed with a first bottom edge corresponding in position to the rear edge. The first bottom edge is provided with a fourth pivotal connection portion corresponding in position to the first pivotal connection portion, and the fourth pivotal connection portion is pivotally connected to the first pivotal connection portion such that the rear panel can be folded and unfolded with respect to the bottom panel. The two lateral panels are detachably connected to the bottom panel and are each formed with a second bottom edge corresponding in position to one of the two lateral edges. Each second bottom edge is provided with a fifth pivotal connection portion corresponding in position to the second pivotal connection portion of the corresponding lateral edge, and the fifth pivotal connection portion of each second bottom edges is pivotally connected to the second pivotal connection portion of the corresponding lateral edge such that the two lateral panels can be folded and unfolded with respect to the bottom panel. The front panel is detachably connected to the bottom panel and is formed with a third bottom edge corresponding in position to the front edge. The third bottom edge is provided with a sixth pivotal connection portion corresponding in position to the third pivotal connection portion, and the sixth pivotal connection portion is pivotally connected to the third pivotal connection portion such that the front panel can be folded and unfolded with respect to the bottom panel. The lid is detachably connected to the rear panel, the two lateral panels, and the front panel such that the lid and all the panels jointly form a receiving space.

The foregoing technical features have the following advantages:

1. The rear panel, the two lateral panels, and the front panel can be folded and unfolded with respect to the bottom panel independently of one another to reduce the volume of the storage box, lest the storage box take up too much space while in storage.

2. When folded up, the storage box can be securely stacked on another such folded storage box to save space and facilitate transportation.

3. When unfolded and securely assembled, the storage box can also be stacked on another such unfolded and securely assembled storage box to save space.

4. As the rear panel, the two lateral panels, the front panel, and the lid are individually connected and can be detached independently of one another, the design and manufacture of the storage box are made easy, and should any of the components be damaged, the storage box can still be used after the damaged component is replaced and therefore need not be discarded wastefully as in the case of an integrally formed storage box.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the storage box according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows how the rear panel of the storage box in FIG. 1 is connected to the bottom panel;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the circled area III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows how the two lateral panels of the storage box in FIG. 1 are connected to the bottom panel;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the circled area V in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the circled area VI in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 shows how the front panel of the storage box in FIG. 1 is connected to the bottom panel;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the circled area VIII in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 shows how the lid of the storage box in FIG. 1 is connected to the rear panel, the two lateral panels, and the front panel;

FIG. 10 is a bottom perspective view of the lid of the storage box in FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is an assembled perspective view of the storage box in FIG. 1, with the front panel opened;

FIG. 12 shows a stack of storage boxes according to the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is an assembled perspective view of the storage box in FIG. 1, with the lid removed;

FIG. 14 is similar to FIG. 13 except that the two lateral panels have been folded with respect to the bottom panel;

FIG. 15 is similar to FIG. 14 except that the rear panel has been folded with respect to the bottom panel;

FIG. 16 is similar to FIG. 15 except that the front panel has been folded with respect to the bottom panel;

FIG. 17 shows how the folded box body in FIG. 16 is covered with the inverted lid; and

FIG. 18 shows a stack of folded storage boxes according to the embodiment of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1 for the foldable storage box according to an embodiment of the present invention, the storage box includes a bottom panel 1, a rear panel 2, two lateral panels 3, a front panel 4, and a lid 5.

The bottom panel 1 is formed with a rear edge 11, two opposite lateral edges 12, and a front edge 13 along its periphery. The bottom panel 1 is further formed with a first joining portion 14, which protrudes from the bottom side of the bottom panel 1. The rear edge 11 of the bottom panel 1 is protrudingly provided with a plurality of first pivotal connection portions 15. The two lateral edges 12 of the bottom panel 1 are each protrudingly provided with a plurality of second pivotal connection portions 16. The front edge 13 of the bottom panel 1 is protrudingly provided with a plurality of third pivotal connection portions 17. Each first pivotal connection portion 15 as well as each second pivotal connection portion 16 and each third pivotal connection portion 17 is a pivotal connection groove formed by a curled plate. The second pivotal connection portions 16 are lower than the first pivotal connection portions 15 and the third pivotal connection portions 17.

The rear panel 2 is detachably connected to the bottom panel 1 as shown in FIG. 2. The rear panel 2 is formed with a first bottom edge 21 corresponding in position to the rear edge 11. The two lateral edges of the rear panel 2 that are adjacent to the first bottom edge 21 are each formed as a first lateral connection edge 22. Each of the two first lateral connection edges 22 is protrudingly provided with a first protective cover 26. The first bottom edge 21 is provided with a plurality of fourth pivotal connection portions 23 corresponding in position respectively to the first pivotal connection portions 15, wherein each of the fourth pivotal connection portions 23 is a pivot shaft. The fourth pivotal connection portions 23 are received in and pivotally connected to the first pivotal connection portions 15 respectively (see FIG. 3) such that the rear panel 2 not only can be detached from the bottom panel 1, but also can be folded and unfolded with respect to the bottom panel 1, i.e., rotated to and away from the bottom panel 1 about an axis defined by the fourth pivotal connection portions 23. Each of the two first lateral connection edges 22 of the rear panel 2 is provided with at least one first connection portion 24 adjacent to the corresponding first protective cover 26. The first connection portions 24 are engaging grooves. The rear panel 2 is further formed with a first top edge 25, which is the opposite edge of the first bottom edge 21.

The two lateral panels 3 are detachably connected to the bottom panel 1 as shown in FIG. 4. Each of the two lateral panels 3 is formed with a second bottom edge 31 corresponding in position to one of the two lateral edges 12. Each of the two lateral panels 3 is further formed with a second lateral connection edge 32 to be disposed adjacent to and in contact with one of the two first lateral connection edges 22. Each second bottom edge 31 is provided with a plurality of fifth pivotal connection portions 33 corresponding in position respectively to the second pivotal connection portions 16 of the corresponding lateral edge 12, wherein each of the fifth pivotal connection portions 33 is a pivot shaft. The fifth pivotal connection portions 33 of each lateral panel 3 are received in and pivotally connected to the corresponding second pivotal connection portions 16 respectively (see FIG. 5) such that the two lateral panels 3 not only can be detached from the bottom panel 1, but also can be folded and unfolded with respect to the bottom panel 1, i.e., each rotated to and away from the bottom panel 1 about an axis defined by the corresponding fifth pivotal connection portions 33. Each of the two second lateral connection edges 32 of the two lateral panels 3 is provided with at least one second connection portion 34. The second connection portions 34 are engaging blocks. The second connection portion 34 of each second lateral connection edge 32 is configured to be securely engaged in the first connection portion 24 of the corresponding first lateral connection edge 22 (see FIG. 6) so that the two lateral panels 3 are connected to the rear panel 2 and are in an upright unfolded state with respect to the bottom panel 1. The second connection portion 34 of each second lateral connection edge 32 is also configured to disengage from the first connection portion 24 of the corresponding first lateral connection edge 22 in a direction toward the bottom panel 1 such that the corresponding lateral panel 3 is detached from the rear panel 2 and folded with respect to the bottom panel 1. Each of the two lateral panels 3 is further formed with a second top edge 35. The second top edge 35 and the second bottom edge 31 of each lateral panel 3 are two opposite edges.

The front panel 4 is detachably connected to the bottom panel 1 as shown in FIG. 7. The front panel 4 is formed with a third bottom edge 41 corresponding in position to the front edge 13. The third bottom edge 41 is provided with a plurality of sixth pivotal connection portions 43 corresponding in position respectively to the third pivotal connection portions 17, wherein each of the sixth pivotal connection portions 43 is a pivot shaft. The sixth pivotal connection portions 43 are received in and pivotally connected to the third pivotal connection portions 17 respectively (see FIG. 8) such that the front panel 4 not only can be detached from the bottom panel 1, but also can be folded and unfolded with respect to the bottom panel 1, i.e., rotated to and away from the bottom panel 1 about an axis defined by the sixth pivotal connection portions 43. The front panel 4 is further formed with a third top edge 45, which is the opposite edge of the third bottom edge 41. Two first magnetic elements 44 are provided on the front panel 4 at positions adjacent to the third top edge 45. The two first magnetic elements 44 may be magnets or magnetically attractable metal. The front panel 4 is also notched to form a pulling portion 42 between the two first magnetic elements 44. In addition, the front panel 4 has two lateral edges that flank the third bottom edge 41 and are each protrudingly provided with a second protective cover 46.

The lid 5 is detachably connected to the rear panel 2, the two lateral panels 3, and the front panel 4 as shown in FIG. 9. The bottom side of the lid 5 is provided with an accommodating portion 51 as shown in FIG. 10. The accommodating portion 51 is a square U-shaped groove configured to accommodate the first top edge 25 of the rear panel 2 and the two second top edges 35 of the two lateral panels 3 and thereby keep the rear panel 2 and the two lateral panels 3 upright, allowing the bottom panel 1, the rear panel 2, the two lateral panels 3, the front panel 4, and the lid 5 to jointly form the receiving space A of the storage box as shown in FIG. 11. The bottom side of the lid 5 is further provided with two second magnetic elements 54 corresponding in position respectively to the two first magnetic elements 44. The two second magnetic elements 54 may be magnets or magnetically attractable metal so that each second magnetic element 54 and the corresponding first magnetic element 44 can be magnetically secured to each other. In addition, the top side of the lid 5 is concavely formed with a second joining portion 52. The second joining portion 52 is configured to be joined to the first joining portion 14 of another storage box of the same configuration.

To place an object into the storage box, referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 11, the pulling portion 42 of the front panel 4 can be pulled to separate the two first magnetic elements 44 from the two second magnetic elements 54, and by doing so, the front panel 4 will be opened with respect to the bottom panel 1 (i.e., rotated away from the bottom panel 1 about the axis defined by the sixth pivotal connection portions 43), allowing the object to be put into the receiving space A. After that, the front panel 4 can be pushed back in place so that the two first magnetic elements 44 and the two second magnetic elements 54 are magnetically secured to each other again to close the receiving space A.

Referring to FIG. 12, a plurality of storage boxes having the foregoing configuration can be stacked up, with the first joining portion 14 of the bottom panel 1 of an upper storage box placed on the second joining portion 52 of the lid 5 of the adjacent lower storage box to save space.

When the storage box described above needs to be transported or stored, referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 9, the volume of the storage box can be reduced as follows. First, the lid 5 is separated from the rear panel 2, the two lateral panels 3, and the front panel 4 as shown in FIG. 13. Then, each of the two lateral panels 3 is folded with respect to the bottom panel 1 as shown in FIG. 14. More specifically, each lateral panel 3 is rotated toward the bottom panel 1 about the axis defined by the corresponding fifth pivotal connection portions 33 such that the second connection portion 34 of the lateral panel 3 is disengaged from the corresponding first connection portion 24 and each lateral panel 3 ends up separated from the rear panel 2 and collapsed on the bottom panel 1. Following that, the rear panel 2 is folded with respect to the bottom panel 1, i.e., rotated toward the bottom panel 1 about the axis defined by the fourth pivotal connection portions 23 as shown in FIG. 15. Since the first pivotal connection portions 15 are higher than the second pivotal connection portions 16, the folded rear panel 2 will lie substantially flat on the two folded lateral panels 3 without tilting up. Moreover, the rear panel 2 and its two first protective covers 26 will cover half of the two folded lateral panels 3 to give the folded box body a pleasant, integral look. Next, the front panel 4 is folded with respect to the bottom panel 1, i.e., rotated toward the bottom panel 1 about the axis defined by the sixth pivotal connection portions 43 as shown in FIG. 16. Since the third pivotal connection portions 17 are also higher than the second pivotal connection portions 16, the folded front panel 4 will lie substantially flat on the two folded lateral panels 3 without tilting up and be as high as the folded rear panel 2. In addition, the front panel 4 and its two second protective covers 46 will cover the other half of the two folded lateral panels 3 to give the folded box body a pleasant, integral look. Lastly, the lid 5 is turned over and placed on the folded box body, with the concave second joining portion 52 lying on the folded rear panel 2, the two folded lateral panels 3, and the folded front panel 4 as shown in FIG. 17. The inverted second joining portion 52 also gives the resulting assembly a pleasant, integral look. Once the folding and assembling steps are completed, the volume of the storage box is effectively reduced. A plurality of such folded storage boxes can be stacked up to facilitate transportation, with the first joining portion 14 of the bottom panel 1 of an upper folded storage box placed in the accommodating portion 51 of the inverted lid 5 of the adjacent lower folded storage box as shown in FIG. 18 to reduce the space occupied by the stack.

The embodiment described above shall be able to enable a full understanding of the operation, use, and effects of the present invention. The embodiment, however, is but a preferred one of the invention and is not intended to be restrictive of the scope of the invention. All simple equivalent changes and modifications based on the appended claims and the disclosure of the present specification shall fall within the scope of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A foldable storage box, comprising: a bottom panel formed with a rear edge, two opposite lateral edges, and a front edge, wherein the rear edge is provided with at least one first pivotal connection portion, each of the two lateral edges is provided with at least one second pivotal connection portion, and the front edge is provided with at least one third pivotal connection portion; a rear panel detachably connected to the bottom panel and formed with a first bottom edge corresponding in position to the rear edge, wherein the first bottom edge is provided with a fourth pivotal connection portion corresponding in position to the first pivotal connection portion, and the fourth pivotal connection portion is pivotally connected to the first pivotal connection portion such that the rear panel is able to be folded and unfolded with respect to the bottom panel; two lateral panels detachably connected to the bottom panel and each formed with a second bottom edge corresponding in position to one of the two lateral edges, wherein each of the two second bottom edges is provided with a fifth pivotal connection portion corresponding in position to the second pivotal connection portion of the corresponding one of the two lateral edges, and the fifth pivotal connection portion of each of the two second bottom edges is pivotally connected to the second pivotal connection portion of the corresponding one of the two lateral edges such that the two lateral panels are able to be folded and unfolded with respect to the bottom panel; a front panel detachably connected to the bottom panel and formed with a third bottom edge corresponding in position to the front edge, wherein the third bottom edge is provided with a sixth pivotal connection portion corresponding in position to the third pivotal connection portion, and the sixth pivotal connection portion is pivotally connected to the third pivotal connection portion such that the front panel is able to be folded and unfolded with respect to the bottom panel; and a lid detachably connected to the rear panel, the two lateral panels, and the front panel such that the bottom panel, the rear panel, the two lateral panels, the front panel, and the lid jointly form a receiving space.
 2. The foldable storage box of claim 1, wherein each of the first pivotal connection portion, each said second pivotal connection portion, and the third pivotal connection portion is a pivotal connection groove formed by a curved plate, and each of the fourth pivotal connection portion, each said fifth pivotal connection portion, and the sixth pivotal connection portion is a pivot shaft.
 3. The foldable storage box of claim 1, wherein the second pivotal connection portions are lower than the first pivotal connection portion and the third pivotal connection portion.
 4. The foldable storage box of claim 1, wherein the rear panel has two lateral edges adjacent to the first bottom edge and each formed as a first lateral connection edge, each of the two lateral panels is formed with a second lateral connection edge to be disposed adjacent to and in contact with one of the two first lateral connection edges, each of the two first lateral connection edges is provided with at least one first connection portion, each of the two second lateral connection edges is provided with at least one second connection portion, and the second connection portion of each of the two second lateral connection edges is configured to engage securely with the first connection portion of the corresponding one of the two first lateral connection edges.
 5. The foldable storage box of claim 4, wherein each of the first connection portions is an engaging groove, and each of the second connection portions is an engaging block.
 6. The foldable storage box of claim 4, wherein the second connection portion of each of the two second lateral connection edges is configured to disengage from the first connection portion of the corresponding one of the two first lateral connection edges in a direction toward the bottom panel.
 7. The foldable storage box of claim 4, wherein each of the two first lateral connection edges is protrudingly provided with a first protective cover.
 8. The foldable storage box of claim 1, wherein the front panel has two lateral edges flanking the third bottom edge and each protrudingly provided with a second protective cover.
 9. The foldable storage box of claim 1, wherein the rear panel is further formed with a first top edge, the first top edge and the first bottom edge are two opposite edges of the rear panel, each of the two lateral panels is further formed with a second top edge, the second top edge and the second bottom edge of each of the two lateral panels are two opposite edges, and the lid has a bottom side concavely provided with an accommodating portion for accommodating the first top edge and the two second top edges.
 10. The foldable storage box of claim 9, wherein the accommodating portion is a square U-shaped groove.
 11. The foldable storage box of claim 1, wherein the front panel is further formed with a third top edge, the third top edge and the third bottom edge are two opposite edges of the front panel, the front panel is provided with at least one first magnetic element at a position adjacent to the third top edge, the lid has a bottom side provided with a second magnetic element corresponding in position to the first magnetic element, and the first magnetic element and the second magnetic element are magnetically securable to each other.
 12. The foldable storage box of claim 1, wherein the front panel is notched to form a pulling portion.
 13. The foldable storage box of claim 1, wherein the bottom panel has a bottom side protrudingly formed with a first joining portion, and the lid has a top side concavely formed with a second joining portion to be joined to the first joining portion of another said bottom panel. 